This is the end of the first month after the start of the second grade.

The road between Hogwarts and Hogsmeade was closed again, and the students all returned to the castle.

Matthew Wakefield, back to his quiet life in the common room, auditorium, classroom, and library.

As the weather begins to get colder in October, pumpkin juice and steaming black tea are the usual drinks served in the auditorium...... The students also added one or two woolen sweaters under their robes to keep out the cold.

By chance, Matthew heard a message -

It is said that on the day Hogsmeade opened in September, something strange happened at the Hogsmeade's Bar...... The Pig's Head Bar hired a waiter named "Tom" half a year ago, but the waiter was actually a thief...... As a result, the odd owner of the pig's head bar found himself in heavy losses and tried to catch him, but finally let the thief escape......

This seemingly ordinary news, in Matthew's view, seems to have another meaning-

The waiter named "Tom" is naturally Tom Riddle (Tom Gaunt...... Now that someone can prove that he has escaped from Hogsmeade, it is almost certain that he is not possessed behind his head or elsewhere in his body.

Matthew's heart that had been hanging a little before could finally be put down.

And the owner of the pig's head bar, Mr. Percival.

According to the description of this "news", plus my own personal experience that day...... At first, he still fell into the hands of Tom Gaunt, and when he woke up, he appeared in front of the pig's head bar and Mr. Percival.

Matthew can boldly guess that the truth of that day seems to be that Mr. "Percival" saved himself from Tom Gaunt and saved himself from the fate of the Dark Lord in another world.

Of course, there is also a problem involved in this -

Why did Mr. Percival save himself, just because of kindness?

Or does he have a deeper purpose?

But in any case, he almost saved his own life...... You know, if it falls into the hands of Tom Gaunt, there will definitely be no good ending for you.

Recalling that hideous, unattractive face, and cold and rough voice, Matthew couldn't help but feel a little warm in his heart......

This kindness will be kept in his heart in the future.

At the same time, he was glad that he did not tell anyone what he really experienced in Hogsmeade that day.

After all, if he guessed correctly...... The real identity of Mr. Percival is most likely Albus Dumbledore's younger brother, Aberforth Dumbledore...... He is incognito, self-destructive, and has lived in seclusion in the pig's head bar for so many years, he must have his real purpose.

Perhaps there was some connection to the three Azkaban fugitives, and even the three fugitives' attempts to infiltrate Hogwarts had something to do with him......

So after saving himself that day, he drove himself away very rudely, definitely not wanting to expose him and cause others to suspect because of these things.

After all, the real ruler of this world is Gellert Grindelwald.

Matthew may not be able to help Mr. Percival, but he certainly won't make trouble for his "savior".

So, the real experience he had in Hogsmeade that day, I'm afraid he will keep it in his heart...... Don't tell anyone, especially those who might have "ulterior motives", or you would be harming Mr. Percival if you draw attention to the pig's head bar.

......

At the same time, Matthew began to work a little harder than before.

Every day he would stay late in the library before returning to the Slytherin common room...... Even when I was lying in bed, I would recall the details and content of some spells, and then fall asleep to the sound of waves outside the window.

He was hungry for all things magical.

Because, the situation has changed!

Matthew Wakefield, who used to have no grudges and no grudges, had nothing to do with the wizarding world.

But now it's different, there's a powerful dark wizard named Tom Gaunt, waiting for him outside the school, eager to catch him and take something from him......

This sense of oppression has also become the motivation for Matthew to take the initiative to improve himself.

There may be no trouble for most of the next six months...... For some reason, Tom didn't seem to dare to break into Hogwarts, or he would have been in Hogwarts for so long...... What's more, in order to capture the three Azkaban fugitives, Hogwarts was heavily guarded.

This also means that until next summer, as long as he does not leave Hogwarts voluntarily, Tom will not pose any threat to himself.

As for the book, Matthew never opened it again.

It's powerful...... And it's what Tom Gaunt craves so much......

Although it did not cause any harm to itself from its performance before, the above factors alone were enough to make Matthew a little more wary of it.

......

One day in mid-October, when Matthew finished breakfast and hurried to the library.

"Matthew!" a eager voice suddenly came from behind him.

Matthew stopped, and it was the voice of Horace Slughorn, the head of Slytherin House.

"My little one," Professor Slughorn said affectionately, "if I'm not mistaken, you've missed the last three of my dinners......

Due to Agnes Lestrange's "warning" that day, Matthew chose not to attend the Slug Club party anymore.

Not only because of her warning, of course, but also because Tom Gaunt actually knew his name and identity, and it was clear that he might have an "insider" at Hogwarts......

"I'm sorry, Professor, I wasn't feeling well a while ago......" Matthew politely refused.

"Then you look healthy now. Slughorn replied with a smile.

"The second year course was too heavy for me...... Sorry, Professor...... I probably don't have much time to ......," Matthew continued to refuse, gesturing to his heavy bag.

However, Slughorn was not angry: "Sometimes it is better to combine work and rest than to study blindly......"

"......" Matthew hadn't expected Slughorn to be so resolute, just as he pondered what another reason would be better.

"Don't miss it this Sunday night at half past seven!" Slughorn didn't give him another chance to refuse.

Gently patting Matthew on the shoulder, he walked away.